The Week That Was No. 5: A flair for the dramatic

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Drama with a capital D. For impartial observers of a basketball game there's nothing better than a contest that comes down to the wire to be decided with a big-time play by a big-time player in the dying moments. That's what happened Friday in Richfield where the host Spartans and the visiting Jordan Jaguars put on one dramatic production. Let's begin our recap of the Week That Was No. 5 with that – the best game we saw in the past seven days.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Games of the Week</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mother Nature intervened again last week as inclement weather Thursday led to the cancellation of 40 of the 75 games scheduled. Some 24 hours later, however, the action could not have been more exciting as undefeated Richfield (6-0) pulled off an improbable double-overtime victory against Jordan. After winning their first five games by an average score of 74-36, the Spartans needed every ounce of fight in a 69-68 double overtime victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Trailing by 7 points with under a minute left in the second extra period, and two core competitors having fouled out, Richfield's rising star [player_tooltip player_id='969766' first='Iona' last='MacNabb'] delivered the goods. MacNabb's steal and score with 8 seconds remaining delivered the victory. With St. Thomas commit [player_tooltip player_id='502602' first='Morgan' last='Staloch'] and D1 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='925046' first='Jordan' last='Staloch'] the Jags are no pushover. Their length gave the Spartans fits, but Richfield refused to lose. MacNabb was 7-for-12 from the field and 5-of-13 from three on the night for 33 points with 7 rebounds and 6 steals. Averaging 26 points per game, Richfield coach Dez Walker calls MacNabb one of the most competitive players he has ever coached.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Spartans are off to an outstanding start, but Walker is not surprised. Prior to the season other coaches were asking how good the Spartans would be after the graduation of three senior standouts. “I told them ‘I think we will be better,'” Walker said.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Led by MacNabb and 5'11 sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='1264768' first='Zuri' last='Hayes'], Richfield's core includes 2028 [player_tooltip player_id='1311723' first='Samira' last='Peters'], 2027 <strong>Ania LaDuke</strong> and 2026 <strong>Imelda</strong> <strong>Amedzonekou</strong> plus nice bench depth hungry to get on the floor. “We finished 19-9 last year,” said Walker. “This could be Richfield's first 20-win season since Coach (LeeAnn) Wise had a lineup of Jessica January, Pam January, Hannah Wise, Sierra Washington and Jamie Noonan! We have more balance, and we can match up on defense.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Delano 81 vs Marshall 77</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Whenever Marshall takes to the court, you can be certain a physical contest is about to ensue. That's exactly what happened at Delano on Tuesday, but it was the home team that prospered in the early going. Delano got off to a 21-9 start and held a 38-31 lead at the break. Marshall had a second-half spurt to tie things up, but the home team went on a 10-0 sprint, crafting a cushion that was just big enough.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='927238' first='Lexi' last='Champeau'] was outstanding, making a numerous key plays on both sides of the ball and posting 16 points in the process. [player_tooltip player_id='866100' first='Addie' last='Iversen'], who looks more like a D1 performer all the time, led the team with 23 points while Michigan Tech signee [player_tooltip player_id='458302' first='Abbie' last='Pietila'] had 22. St. Cloud volleyball commit [player_tooltip player_id='1194474' first='Reese' last='Drake'] had 23 for Marshall while Southwest Minnesota State basketball signee [player_tooltip player_id='589276' first='Taleigha' last='Bigler'] had 19.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The only downside for Delano was the loss of senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='589282' first='Cassie' last='Wegman'] (Jamestown commit) who went down with a knee injury in the first half. She missed her team's next game and as of midday on Monday they were awaiting word on the seriousness of the injury.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Stock Risers of the Week</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='908286' first='Lauren' last='Robison'] <strong>– 2028 guard, Lakeville North</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We were watching on Friday when Robison launched an all-out aerial assault against Eagan. The sophomore guard, ranked #16 in the Class of 2028, set the tone early as North built a 38-20 lead in the first half and went on to a 64-47 win over the Wildcats. Lauren finished the night with 7 threes on 13 shots for 23 points. Robison's game has blossomed this season as she has gained valuable experience – summer and winter – and the high-level confidence that results. Robison leads the Panthers in scoring at 17 points per game and is shooting over 42% from beyond the arc.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1568964,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/12/Rayahna-Staples-Fairbanks_122025-crop-4498x2953-1766440675.jpeg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1568964" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1568387' first='Rayahna' last='Staples-Fairbanks'] <strong>– 2028 guard, Cass Lake-Bena</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've been waiting for the talented guard to put it all together. The sophomore (pictured above) has been a varsity regular since 7^th grade but she has always seen herself as a support player, not a centerpiece. This was particularly true in AAU. That changed on Saturday when we watched Cass Lake-Bena win 55-53 at Visitation. Staples-Fairbanks, who comes from an accomplished basketball family at Leech Lake, attacked the basket from the opening tip and never let up. She was relentless, using her excellent ball-handling skills to get past Blazer defenders to score. By the time it was over, Rayahna had 24 points – nearly double her season average – and an ear-to-ear smile. We'll be watching for more of the same in the weeks ahead. She is a talented prospect.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1568965,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/04/Jayden-Sonnenberg_Frazee-crop-3903x2563-1713297321-crop-714x469-1766440776.jpg?w=713" alt="" class="wp-image-1568965" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Milestones</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A better-late-than-never shout out to 2026 guard [player_tooltip player_id='894002' first='Jayden' last='Sonnenberg'] of Frazee, the North Dakota commit whose rise to the top 30 in the Class of 2026 has been well-chronicled. We missed it at the time but on Dec, 4 Jayden (pictured above) reached 2,000 career points in a win over Park Rapids. Sonnenberg is the all-time scoring leader (boys or girls) for the Hornets. The five-year varsity performer is also closing in on 1,000 career rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='782558' first='Kate' last='Thayer'] – The 2026 guard from Northome-Kelliher set a state record for the most career steals with 922, surpassing Mountain Iron-Buhl great <strong>Chelsea Mason</strong> in a win over Red Lake on Tuesday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This week's 1,000 point scorers included:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='826639' first='Sammie' last='Hachey'] – 2026 guard, Crosby-Ironton</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1263074' first='Rainey' last='Dobbs'] – 2026 guard, Triton</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='773429' first='Maddie' last='Sundberg'] – 2026 guard, Roseville</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Telilie Lange</strong> – 2026 guard, Willmar</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='764210' first='Livia' last='Tennessen'] – 2027 guard, Randolph-Cannon Falls</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='904190' first='Malin' last='Youngberg'] – 2028 guard, Little Falls</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No stranger to the record books, New London-Spicer coach <strong>Mike Dreier</strong> reached another milestone with his 1,100^th career win on Tuesday in an 80-60 defeat of Watertown-Mayer. Another victory on Friday pushed the Wildcats' season record to 6-0 and Dreier's career ledger to 1,101-195. He is the all-time winningest coach in Minnesota history.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Notable performances</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='515676' first='Samantha' last='Voll'] of Monticello set a school single-game scoring record with a 52-point performance last week in a win over Moorhead. Ranked 16^th in the Class of 2026, the point guard has committed to the University of St. Thomas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1568948' first='Maddie' last='Seaver'], a senior from Zimmerman, also set a single-game school record with a 47-point explosion against Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted. The high-IQ point guard had a pair of 33-point games against Westonka and Princeton. After winning just six games last year, the Thunder ended the week at 5-2.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='362575' first='Callie' last='Oakland'] of St. Croix Lutheran is having a monster season on a struggling Crusaders squad. We ran into Callie on Sunday at the University of St. Thomas where her future college team from the University of Northern Iowa was playing. Ranked 13^th among Minnesota seniors, the big power forward is averaging 25.6 points and 20.9 rebounds per game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Week Ahead</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're starting off our week with a Monday night game in St. James where the Saints will host the Pipestone Arrows. On Tuesday, Spring Lake Park at Blaine, Caledonia at Minnehaha Academy, and East Ridge at Lakeville North are intriguing. Everyone is off Wednesday and Thursday for the Christmas holiday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Play resumes on Friday with the annual array of holiday tournaments. PGH scout Tony Ragulen will be dropping in on the Breakdown Capitol City Classic at the University of Northwestern in Roseville Friday and Saturday. The grandaddy of them all is the Breakdown Granite City Classic featuring 35 girls games over two days at six locations in the St. Cloud area. Ally McGinnis and I will be at St. Ben's throughout, the only site that features exclusively girls games. Granite City is always one of the highlights of the high school season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->